God Fails During Holidays Comic Strip
This is a somber Littlest Atheist strip from over the holidays. I kept thinking about how little credit we give ourselves as humans for making the world better. Yes, we’re responsible for a lot of screw-ups, but we’re also responsible for overcoming nature when it is out to kill our fellow man and woman. We also are continually making progress in human rights not to mention animal rights (which we bestow on our fellow creatures after contemplating the moral implications of unnecessary cruelties).
What we have trouble recognizing is that the word “miracle” is now equivalent to other quaint but meaningless verbal traditions as “bless you” when someone sneezes. Miracle does not mean a feat that surpasses what we could expect to happen within our physical realm. As noted by several skeptics and atheists, while someone may appear to be “miraculously” healed from an illness, the true miracle would show a man’s arm growing back before our very eyes after being severed by an accident. Recoveries and/or remissions from diseases sometimes are simply unexplained for the time being and therefore do not need to be attributed to a deity–in the future we may know exactly why these things happen as is usually the case when we advance in medical knowledge.
So as we go into the New Year, realize you can’t rely on the invisibly unverifiable and take time to look out for “your neighbor.” Humanism is preferable to fantasy and even the smallest acts of kindness can reverberate throughout our population.
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I’m not sure if I believe in God or not but everything that you mentioned, to me, seems that it’s because of Human error. The woman with Diabetes, she should have eaten better. She may be soaking her salads with dressing and not understanding that that’s what helping make her fat. Plus, once you get older, you have to do more than just eat salads to be at a healthy weight. Not only that, you don’t really know if she hides in the pantry at night stuffing herself with Oreos until she busts. Does she deserve diabetes? Probably not as a punishment because she may be an amazingly good woman. Did she do this to herself? Probably.
Point number two: Mr. Arlen, his misfortune was due to Human error as well. The doctors didn’t do what they had to do and unfortunately, he loses his job because of greedy employers trying to make a buck. Then he risks losing his house; another story of Human greed (the banks). All this may have happened because of the medications Humans have created and have caused a mental condition.
Lastly, this child may have contracted cancer because of the vaccines, poor food quality loaded with drugs that our government allows, or just plain old parents doing bad things while they were pregnant. All Human error.
We can’t expect God to be an enabler. (S)He’s not the parent that comes in and turns the other way when we’ve gotten arrested bailing us out for the 30th time without learning our lesson. I’m, of course, only speculating and bringing forth my opinion and hope you can see that I can’t understand the naivety portrayed in this comic. I applaud you coming forth with your opinion and I respect that. I do not go to Church. I was raised a Super Catholic (I work a cape). But have grown up since with only faith that hopes there is something good out there. I think it was a great way to guide me in the right direction. It wasn’t because I truly believed. I guess I just hoped there would be something after this life. But I’m definitely not defending anyone. I’m only using common sense in hopes of you seeing that God isn’t a super hero. He (supposedly) gave us free will so that we can make our own choices and hope we come out right. Just like a parent. (S)He can’t come swooping down to save us every time we get into trouble. I think the “It’s just God’s plan” is a cop out. I don’t agree with it and idiotic priests/ministers/reverends/etc., say this stupidly. I don’t think God sits up there with a book. I think he knows why things happen but it’s all our own fault. I don’t know. I just don’t think this comic portrays common sense. I guess if you really put yourself in the perspective of a child thinking this, I can see it. Only a child would lack the common sense to see that the things he proposes are merely a matter of not thinking about this fully.
Sure, this is a child’s perspective but also one based on a common theme as “God’s plan” is used regularly in sermons where tragedy is concerned. I personally get tired of hearing it whether it’s a shooting or an earthquake (and don’t tell me we have control over the earthquake). So you can’t lay complete blame at the feet of “mortals.” If you believe in God you most likely believe he designed the system and the system is certainly flawed even taking into consideration our poor decisions.
I noticed you didn’t comment on where the phrase was actually used in the thought captions–”friendly fire in Afghanistan” which was human error, but if an onlooking God just watches innocent people kill each other and shrugs his shoulders “whoops” what good is a God like that? Why bother to believe in God at all then? The kid is being rhetorical about what is painfully obvious. Are humans just a TV show to God as they fuck up on earth? Or maybe it’s simply not necessary to believe in God? …Because there is no God or a plan. God is not evident and neither is a plan. It’s up to us.
Bertrand, The Littlest Atheist, is, by the way, still naive and trying to work through these problems. So, of course, while I will defend his thinking on this one, he is subject to being questioned. I’m surprised no one went after him on his science blessing which is deserving of criticism.
It’s a fair comment though, I would only take exception with the naive part because this is a response to “God’s Plan” and if you don’t think such a thing exists then the response is not directed towards you.
Without God, we are all nothing.
Do not practice the saying “to see is to believe”
Everyone has the opportunity to discover miracles.
And you can be one of them
God did not want you to suffer things that you do not want.
Those things are created by an evil called Satan.
Do your good things and God will reward you for that.
“seek the kingdom of Him,and everything will be given into you.”
Why dont bother seeking His Kingdom First?…And i Assure that you will have the peace in mind and an everlasting life
i dont need everlasting life. isn’t this enough?
this beautiful complex world that can be empirically explained?why does it have to be diminished by manmade mythes
you say everybody has the opportunity to see a miracle, actually everybody has the choice to interprete something like a miracle or use common sense and reason to explain it in natural terms.
Throughout the history every mistery ever solved has turned out to be: notmagic.
“faith is the denial of observation so that belief can be preserved”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0W7Jbc_Vhw
i think this comic strip does have a point. it points out that religion explains bad things by the failure of men/satan and good things are supposed to prove the existence of god.clearly this isn’t based on facts but on preferential interpretation. why does “good” has to be personified in something that isn’t from this world? are they so pessimistic on this world and humans?
i am VERY pessimistic on the human condition, but Miriam wants to mainly blame it all on those people saying it was their fault. sorry, but cancer, heart conditions and many other illnesses are often from things outside our full control. genetics, uncontrollable and unknown enviremental conditions rather than fantasies about vacines and government control. the most dangerous thing we consume is the air we breath.
we are just learning what many of those conditions are, some we have known for generations, and we are learning how to prevent many health problems. too bad it’s work, sacrifice and few listen and she can truly blame them for their bad health.
This is the WORST and not even remotely funny comic I have ever seen!!!! First of all we have human body’s which are far from perfect and second God does not forsake anyone who truly follows and loves him!!! Maybe we should stop celebrating PAGAN HOLIDAY and READ THE BIBLE, GOD’S LETTER TO US ON HOW TO LIVE and then he will bless us and give us the many blessings he has promised!!! However if you do not know what he has promised us and can remind him of these promises then you are not entitled to them!!! This world is discussing and when we have the nerve to blame God for things that may have to do with our imperfect body’s or mens own mistakes he will not bless our society!!! THIS IS THE DEVILS WORLD WE LIVE IN AND THE DEVIL IS ALLOWED TO RULE SO THAT GOD MAY SEE WHO WILL CHOSE TO FALLOW SATAN AND WHO WILL CHOSE TO FALLOW OUR TRUE FATHER!!!! MAKE YOUR CHOICE WISELY BECAUSE YOUR ETERNAL SOUL IS AT STAKE!!!!